The role of prefrontal cortex in working-memory capacity, executive attention, and general fluid intelligence: an individual-differences perspective

Spatial anxiety mediates the sex difference in adult mental rotation test performance

Mental rotation ability is associated with successful advances in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and occupations. Meta-analyses have shown consistent sex disparities in mental rotation, where men outperform women on one measure of mental rotation ability, the Mental Rotations Test (MRT). Spatial anxiety, or the fear and apprehension felt when completing a task that requires spatial thinking, was proposed as a mechanism explaining the relation between sex and mental rotation test performance. This study modified the Spatial Anxiety Scale (SAS) to include questions about how anxious individuals feel when they must mentally rotate items to accomplish a task (e.g., playing Tetris). An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to assess the factorial structure of the modified spatial anxiety scale. Three factor loadings were extracted representing the ability to navigate, mentally rotate objects, and visualize objects. Furthermore, we analyzed the role of spatial anxiety and trait anxiety as potential mediators of the relation between participant sex and mental rotation performance. Spatial anxiety partially mediated the link between the sex of the participants and the MRT performance controlling for trait anxiety. Only navigation and mental rotation anxiety significantly mediated the relation between participant sex and mental rotation performance. We posit spatial anxiety as a barrier to efficient and accurate spatial thinking, and suggest that reducing spatial anxiety has the potential to improve spatial skills and reduce sex differences in mental rotation test performance. To ascertain this, an experimental design can determine whether a reduction in spatial anxiety causes changes in mental rotation test scores.

Paying attention to speech: The role of working memory capacity and professional experience

Managing attention in multispeaker environments is a challenging feat that is critical for human performance. However, why some people are better than others in allocating attention appropriately remains highly unknown. Here, we investigated the contribution of two factors-working memory capacity (WMC) and professional experience-to performance on two different types of attention task: selective attention to one speaker and distributed attention among multiple concurrent speakers. We compared performance across three groups: individuals with low (n = 20) and high (n = 25) WMC, and aircraft pilots (n = 24), whose profession poses extremely high demands for both selective and distributed attention to speech. Results suggests that selective attention is highly effective, with good performance maintained under increasingly adverse conditions, whereas performance decreases substantially with the requirement to distribute attention among a larger number of speakers. Importantly, both types of attention benefit from higher WMC, suggesting reliance on some common capacity-limited resources. However, only selective attention was further improved in the pilots, pointing to its flexible and trainable nature, whereas distributed attention seems to suffer from more fixed and severe processing bottlenecks.

Continuing to look in the mirror: A review of neuroscientific evidence for the broken mirror hypothesis, EP-M model and STORM model of autism spectrum conditions

The mirror neuron system has been argued to be a key brain system responsible for action understanding and imitation. Subsequently, mirror neuron system dysfunction has therefore been proposed to explain the social deficits manifested within autism spectrum condition, an approach referred to as the broken mirror hypothesis. Despite excitement surrounding this hypothesis, extensive research has produced insufficient evidence to support the broken mirror hypothesis in its pure form, and instead two alternative models have been formulated: EP-M model and the social top-down response modulation (STORM) model. All models suggest some dysfunction regarding the mirror neuron system in autism spectrum condition, be that within the mirror neuron system itself or systems that regulate the mirror neuron system. This literature review compares these three models in regard to recent neuroscientific investigations. This review concludes that there is insufficient support for the broken mirror hypothesis, but converging evidence supports an integrated EP-M and STORM model.

Multitasking and Time Pressure in the Operating Room: Impact on Surgeons' Brain Function

OBJECTIVE

To assess the impact of multitasking and time pressure on surgeons' brain function during laparoscopic suturing.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Recent neuroimaging evidence suggests that deterioration in surgical performance under time pressure is associated with deactivation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), an area important for executive functions. However, the effect of multitasking on operator brain function remains unknown.

METHODS

Twenty-nine surgical residents performed an intracorporeal suturing task under four conditions: 1) self-paced suturing, 2) time-pressured suturing, 3) self-paced suturing plus decision-making, and 4) time-pressured suturing plus decision-making. Subjective workload was quantified using the Surgical Task Load Index. Technical skill was objectively assessed using task progression scores, error scores, leak volumes, and knot tensile strengths. PFC activation was measured using optical neuroimaging.

RESULTS

Compared with self-paced suturing, subjective workload (au) was significantly greater in time-pressured suturing (146.0 vs 196.0, P < 0.001), suturing with decision-making (146.0 vs 182.0, P < 0.001), and time-pressured suturing with decision-making (146.0 vs 227.0, P < 0.001). Technical performance during combined suturing and decision-making tasks was inferior to suturing alone under time pressure or self-paced conditions (P < 0.001). Significant dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) activations were observed during self-paced suturing, and ventrolateral PFC (VLPFC) deactivations were identified during time-pressured suturing. However, suturing in conjunction with decision-making resulted in significant deactivation across both the VLPFC and DLPFC (P < 0.05). Random effects regression analysis confirmed decision-making predicts VLPFC and DLPFC deactivation (z = -2.62, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Performance degradation during high workload conditions is associated with deactivation of prefrontal regions important for attentional control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, particularly during tasks involving simultaneous motor and cognitive engagement.

Brain meta-state transitions demarcate thoughts across task contexts exposing the mental noise of trait neuroticism

Researchers have observed large-scale neural meta-state transitions that align to narrative events during movie-viewing. However, group or training-derived priors have been needed to detect them. Here, we introduce methods to sample transitions without any priors. Transitions detected by our methods predict narrative events, are similar across task and rest, and are correlated with activation of regions associated with spontaneous thought. Based on the centrality of semantics to thought, we argue these transitions serve as general, implicit neurobiological markers of new thoughts, and that their frequency, which is stable across contexts, approximates participants' mentation rate. By enabling observation of idiosyncratic transitions, our approach supports many applications, including phenomenological access to the black box of resting cognition. To illustrate the utility of this access, we regress resting fMRI transition rate and movie-viewing transition conformity against trait neuroticism, thereby providing a first neural confirmation of mental noise theory.

A study of the association between cognitive abilities and dietary intake in young women

BACKGROUND

Cognitive abilities comprise activities that relate to receiving and responding to information from the environment, internal processing, making complex decisions, and then responding to this in the context of behavior.

AIM

The current study investigated the association between dietary intake and seven aspects of cognitive abilities among healthy young women.

METHODS

The study was carried out among 182 women aged 18-25 years. A valid and reliable food frequency questionnaire containing 65 food items was used to estimate dietary intake. Neuropsychological function and cognitive abilities of participants were determined using standard questionnaires.

RESULTS

Significant differences were found in depression, anxiety, stress, physical, and mental health-related quality of life as well as daytime sleepiness for the participants in different quartiles of cognitive abilities score (p<0.05). Participants in the fourth quartile of cognitive abilities score consumed significantly higher energy, carbohydrate, protein, calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin A, thiamin, and riboflavin compared to those in the lowest quartile (p<0.05). There were strong correlations between total cognitive abilities score and dietary sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and thiamin (p<0.05). Using stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, iron and thiamin were statistically significant factors for the prediction of cognitive abilities.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrate that neurocognitive function is related to dietary macro and micronutrients including energy, carbohydrate, protein, calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin A, thiamin, and riboflavin on cognitive performance among young women without memory deficit.

Prelimbic of Medial Prefrontal Cortex GABA Modulation through Testosterone on Spatial Learning and Memory

Prefrontal cortex (PFC) is involved in multiple functions including attentional processes, spatial orientation, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Our previous study indicated that microinjection of testosterone in CA1 impaired spatial learning and memory. Some evidence suggests that impairment effect of testosterone is mediated by GABAergic system. In the present study, we investigated the interaction of testosterone (androgenic receptor agonist) and bicuculline (GABA_A receptor antagonist) on spatial learning and memory performance in the prelimbic (PL) of male Wistar rats. Cannulae were bilaterally implanted into the PL region of PFC and drugs were daily microinjected for two minutes in each side. There are 4 experiments. In the first experiment, three sham groups were operated (solvent of testosterone, bicuculline, testosterone plus bicuculline). In the second experiment, different doses of testosterone (40, 80 μg /0.5 μL DMSO/each side) were injected into the PL before each session. In the third experiment, intra PL injections of bicuculline (2, 4 μg/0.5 μL DMSO/each side) were given before every session. In the last experiment, testosterone (80μg/0.5 μL DMSO/each side) along with bicuculline (2 μg/0.5 μL DMSO/each side) was injected into the PL. The results showed there is no difference between control group and sham operated group. Testosterone 80 μg and bicuculline 2 μg, each given separately, and also in combination increased escape latency to find the platform compared to the sham operated and cause to impaired spatial learning and memory. It is shown that intra PL microinjection of bicuculline after testosterone treatment could not rescue the spatial learning and memory impaired induced by testosterone.

Working memory capacity predicts individual differences in social-distancing compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Noncompliance with social distancing during the early stage of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a great challenge to the public health system. These noncompliance behaviors partly reflect people's concerns for the inherent costs of social distancing while discounting its public health benefits. We propose that this oversight may be associated with the limitation in one's mental capacity to simultaneously retain multiple pieces of information in working memory (WM) for rational decision making that leads to social-distancing compliance. We tested this hypothesis in 850 United States residents during the first 2 wk following the presidential declaration of national emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that participants' social-distancing compliance at this initial stage could be predicted by individual differences in WM capacity, partly due to increased awareness of benefits over costs of social distancing among higher WM capacity individuals. Critically, the unique contribution of WM capacity to the individual differences in social-distancing compliance could not be explained by other psychological and socioeconomic factors (e.g., moods, personality, education, and income levels). Furthermore, the critical role of WM capacity in social-distancing compliance can be generalized to the compliance with another set of rules for social interactions, namely the fairness norm, in Western cultures. Collectively, our data reveal contributions of a core cognitive process underlying social-distancing compliance during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting a potential cognitive venue for developing strategies to mitigate a public health crisis.

Developing an Individual Profile of Attentional Control Strategy

What makes one person better at controlling attention than the next person? Attempts to answer this question have largely focused on measuring individuals’ cognitive abilities. However, variation in attentional performance can also be due to differences in strategy. Here, we describe research showing that individuals vary dramatically in how they choose to control attention, with many reliably choosing suboptimal strategies. Optimal strategy choice appears to be unrelated to attentional control ability, general cognitive ability, or even strategy choice on other attention tasks. It does, however, correlate with how effortful individuals find the optimal strategy, which suggests that strategy choice may be driven by subjective, task-specific effort demands. These findings represent initial steps toward fully characterizing an individual profile of attentional control strategies.

Quantification of anticipation of excitement with a three-axial model of emotion with EEG

OBJECTIVE

Multiple facets of human emotion underlie diverse and sparse neural mechanisms. Among the many existing models of emotion, the two-dimensional circumplex model of emotion is an important theory. The use of the circumplex model allows us to model variable aspects of emotion; however, such momentary expressions of one's internal mental state still lacks a notion of the third dimension of time. Here, we report an exploratory attempt to build a three-axis model of human emotion to model our sense of anticipatory excitement, 'Waku-Waku' (in Japanese), in which people predictively code upcoming emotional events.

APPROACH

Electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded from 28 young adult participants while they mentalized upcoming emotional pictures. Three auditory tones were used as indicative cues, predicting the likelihood of the valence of an upcoming picture: positive, negative, or unknown. While seeing an image, the participants judged its emotional valence during the task and subsequently rated their subjective experiences on valence, arousal, expectation, and Waku-Waku immediately after the experiment. The collected EEG data were then analyzed to identify contributory neural signatures for each of the three axes.

MAIN RESULTS

A three-axis model was built to quantify Waku-Waku. As expected, this model revealed the considerable contribution of the third dimension over the classical two-dimensional model. Distinctive EEG components were identified. Furthermore, a novel brain-emotion interface was proposed and validated within the scope of limitations.

SIGNIFICANCE

The proposed notion may shed new light on the theories of emotion and support multiplex dimensions of emotion. With the introduction of the cognitive domain for a brain-computer interface, we propose a novel brain-emotion interface. Limitations of the study and potential applications of this interface are discussed.

Male/female Differences in Radial Arm Water Maze Execution After Chronic Exposure to Noise

Introduction:

Noise is one of the main sources of discomfort in modern societies. It affects physiology, behavior, and cognition of exposed subjects. Although the effects of noise on cognition are well known, gender role in noise-cognition relationship remains controversial.

Aim:

We analyzed the effects of noise on the ability of male and female rats to execute the Radial Arm Water Maze (RAWM) paradigm.

Materials and Methods:

Male and female Wistar rats were exposed to noise for 3 weeks, and the cognitive effects were assessed at the end of the exposure. RAWM execution included a three-day training phase and a reversal-learning phase conducted on the fourth day. Escape latency, reference memory errors, and working memory errors were quantified and compared between exposed and non-exposed subjects.

Results:

We found that male rats were in general more affected by noise. Execution during the three-day learning phase evidenced that male exposed rats employed significantly more time to acquire the task than the non-exposed. On the other hand, the exposed females solved the paradigm in latencies similar to control rats. Both, males and females diminished their capacity to execute on the fourth day when re-learning abilities were tested.

Conclusion:

We conclude that male rats might be less tolerable to noise compared to female ones and that spatial learning may be a cognitive function comparably more vulnerable to noise.

Behavioral and Neural Signatures of Working Memory in Childhood

Working memory function changes across development and varies across individuals. The patterns of behavior and brain function that track individual differences in working memory during human development, however, are not well understood. Here, we establish associations between working memory, other cognitive abilities, and functional MRI (fMRI) activation in data from over 11,500 9- to 10-year-old children (both sexes) enrolled in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, an ongoing longitudinal study in the United States. Behavioral analyses reveal robust relationships between working memory, short-term memory, language skills, and fluid intelligence. Analyses relating out-of-scanner working memory performance to memory-related fMRI activation in an emotional n-back task demonstrate that frontoparietal activity during a working memory challenge indexes working memory performance. This relationship is domain specific, such that fMRI activation related to emotion processing during the emotional n-back task, inhibitory control during a stop-signal task (SST), and reward processing during a monetary incentive delay (MID) task does not track memory abilities. Together, these results inform our understanding of individual differences in working memory in childhood and lay the groundwork for characterizing the ways in which they change across adolescence.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Working memory is a foundational cognitive ability that changes over time and varies across individuals. Here, we analyze data from over 11,500 9- to 10-year-olds to establish relationships between working memory, other cognitive abilities, and frontoparietal brain activity during a working memory challenge, but not during other cognitive challenges. Our results lay the groundwork for assessing longitudinal changes in working memory and predicting later academic and other real-world outcomes.

Assessing and mapping language, attention and executive multidimensional deficits in stroke aphasia

There is growing awareness that aphasia following a stroke can include deficits in other cognitive functions and that these are predictive of certain aspects of language function, recovery and rehabilitation. However, data on attentional and executive (dys)functions in individuals with stroke aphasia are still scarce and the relationship to underlying lesions is rarely explored. Accordingly in this investigation, an extensive selection of standardized non-verbal neuropsychological tests was administered to 38 individuals with chronic post-stroke aphasia, in addition to detailed language testing and MRI. To establish the core components underlying the variable patients’ performance, behavioural data were explored with rotated principal component analyses, first separately for the non-verbal and language tests, then in a combined analysis including all tests. Three orthogonal components for the non-verbal tests were extracted, which were interpreted as shift-update, inhibit-generate and speed. Three components were also extracted for the language tests, representing phonology, semantics and speech quanta. Individual continuous scores on each component were then included in a voxel-based correlational methodology analysis, yielding significant clusters for all components. The shift-update component was associated with a posterior left temporo-occipital and bilateral medial parietal cluster, the inhibit-generate component was mainly associated with left frontal and bilateral medial frontal regions, and the speed component with several small right-sided fronto-parieto-occipital clusters. Two complementary multivariate brain-behaviour mapping methods were also used, which showed converging results. Together the results suggest that a range of brain regions are involved in attention and executive functioning, and that these non-language domains play a role in the abilities of patients with chronic aphasia. In conclusion, our findings confirm and extend our understanding of the multidimensionality of stroke aphasia, emphasize the importance of assessing non-verbal cognition in this patient group and provide directions for future research and clinical practice. We also briefly compare and discuss univariate and multivariate methods for brain-behaviour mapping.

When working memory mechanisms compete: Predicting cognitive flexibility versus mental set

Cognitive flexibility is a hallmark of individuals with higher working memory capacity (WMC). Yet, individuals with higher WMC sometimes demonstrate greater rigidity in problem solving. The present research examines a novel account for these contradictory findings-that different WMC mechanisms support versus constrain cognitive flexibility. Across three studies, participants completed the water jug task-a problem-solving task requiring them to first establish and then break mental set. Predictor measures targeted three WMC mechanisms: attention control, primary memory, and secondary memory. In Study 1, primary and secondary memory predicted breaking mental set in opposite directions. Higher primary memory facilitated breaking mental set, whereas higher secondary memory hindered it. Study 2 demonstrated that attention control moderates these effects. Study 3 replicated these results using a less restrictive sampling procedure (i.e., participants were provided the strategy needed to establish mental set). The present research supports the proposed theory of functional opponency in WMC.

Changes in Oxyhemoglobin Concentration in the Prefrontal Cortex during Cognitive-Motor Dual Tasks in People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Cognitive and motor impairment are well documented in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, but their relationship has not been studied. This study evaluated and compared cognitive and motor performance during dual tasks and related dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (ΔO₂Hb), a proxy measure of neural activity, in patients with COPD and age-matched healthy individuals. Participants performed three single tasks: (1) backwards spelling cognitive task; (2) 30 m preferred paced walk; (3) 30 m fast walk, and two dual tasks: (4) preferred paced walk + backwards spelling; (5) fast paced walk + backwards spelling. The ΔO₂Hb from left and right dorsolateral PFC were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Gait velocity was measured using a Zeno walkway. Compared to healthy adults (n = 20), patients with COPD (n = 15) had higher ΔO₂Hb during single preferred (-0.344 ± 0.185 vs. 0.325 ± 0.208 µM; p = 0.011) and fast paced walk (-0.249 ± 0.120 vs. 0.486 ± 0.182 µM; p = 0.001) in right PFC. Among healthy adults, ΔO₂Hb were higher bilaterally during preferred paced walking dual versus single task (right: 0.096 ± 0.159 vs. -0.344 ± 0.185 µM, p = 0.013; left: 0.114 ± 0.150 vs. -0.257 ± 0.175 µM, p = 0.049) and in right PFC during fast walking dual versus single task (0.102 ± 0.228 vs. -0.249 ± 0.120, p = 0.021). Patients with COPD did not increase O₂Hb during dual versus single tasks. Patients with COPD exhibited slower velocity than older adults during all walking tasks. The lack of further increase in O₂Hb from single to dual tasks in patients with COPD, may indicate reduced cognitive-motor capacity and contribute to poorer motor performance limiting safe ambulation. Dual tasking rehabilitation may improve neural efficiency to offset these risks.

Comparing Cognitive Control Performance During Seated Rest and Self-Paced Cycling on a Desk Bike in Preadolescent Children

BACKGROUND

Although active workstations, such as desk bikes, have proven to be beneficial for health, there is limited information regarding their effects on children's acute cognitive performance during self-paced exercise.

METHODS

This study used a within-subjects, fully counterbalanced design with a sample of 38 preadolescent children (mean age = 12.50 y, SD = 0.62; 43% male), who performed cognitive tests while being seated or while cycling for 45 minutes with a 7-day interval. Effects of using a desk bike were evaluated on cognitive control: verbal and visuospatial working memory capacities were tested, and inhibition was assessed using a modified flanker task. In addition, subjective task experience was explored using self-report measures.

RESULTS

Cognitive control performance was not degraded but also not improved with the short-term use of desk bikes. Because of the null effects, there is no direction and magnitude of the outcomes to discuss.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that schools can successfully implement desk bikes to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary time among children without compromising cognitive control processes necessary for academic achievement.

Towards an Individual Differences Perspective in Mindfulness Training Research: Theoretical and Empirical Considerations

A growing body of research indicates that mindfulness training can have beneficial effects on critical aspects of psychological well-being, cognitive function, and brain health. Although these benefits have been generalized to the population level, individual variability in observed effects of mindfulness training has not been systematically investigated. Research on other similar forms of psychological intervention demonstrates that individual differences are prominent in terms of intervention responsiveness and outcomes. Furthermore, individual characteristics such as personality traits have been shown to play a crucial role in influencing the effects of intervention. In light of these lines of evidence, we review representative work on individual differences in mindfulness training and advocate for an individual difference perspective in mindfulness training research. We discuss relevant empirical evidence of individual differences potentially influencing behavioral outcomes of mindfulness training, focusing on both cognitive function and psychological well-being. Finally, theoretical considerations and potentially fruitful research strategies and directions for studying individual differences in mindfulness training are discussed, including those involving cognitive neuroscience methods.

Alterations of medial prefrontal cortex bioelectrical activity in experimental model of isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Clinical and animal studies have found that anxiety and depression are significantly more common after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) has a dual role: in higher brain functions and in cardiovascular control, making it a logical candidate for explaining the perceived bidirectional heart-brain connection. We used parallel Electrocardiography (ECG) and Electrocorticography (ECoG) registration to investigate AMI-induced changes in medial PFC bioelectrical activity in a rat model of AMI.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Adult male Wistar albino rats were used in the study. Gold-plated recording electrodes were implanted over the frontal cortex for ECoG recording. ECG was recorded via two holter electrodes attached on the skin of the back fixed in place by a jacket. Induction of AMI was performed by isoprenaline (150 mg/kg, i.p.). ECoG and ECG signals were registered at baseline, during 3 hours after isoprenaline administration and at 24 hours after isoprenaline administration.

RESULTS

Significant increases of theta, alpha, and beta electroencephalographic (EEG) band power were observed in different time intervals after isoprenaline administration. Significant increase of theta band peak frequency was also observed during the first hour after isoprenaline administration. No statistically significant differences in band-power activity were found between the pre-isoprenaline measurements and 24 hours after administration.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate significant increases in EEG band power of alpha beta and theta bands during isoprenaline-induced AMI model. These are the first findings to connect heart damage during isoprenaline- induced AMI to disturbances in the cortical bioelectrical activity.

Examining the roles of working memory and visual attention in multiple object tracking expertise

When tracking multiple moving targets among visually similar distractors, human observers are capable of distributing attention over several spatial locations. It is unclear, however, whether capacity limitations or perceptual-cognitive abilities are responsible for the development of expertise in multiple object tracking. Across two experiments, we examined the role of working memory and visual attention in tracking expertise. In Experiment 1, individuals who regularly engaged in object tracking sports (soccer and rugby) displayed improved tracking performance, relative to non-tracking sports (swimming, rowing, running) (p = 0.02, ηp2 = 0.163), but no differences in gaze strategy (ps > 0.31). In Experiment 2, participants trained on an adaptive object tracking task showed improved tracking performance (p = 0.005, d = 0.817), but no changes in gaze strategy (ps > 0.07). They did, however, show significant improvement in a working memory transfer task (p < 0.001, d = 0.970). These findings indicate that the development of tracking expertise is more closely linked to processing capacity limits than perceptual-cognitive strategies.

The influence of autonomous sensory meridian response on individual's executive function

Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a special perceptual phenomenon in which some people can experience a tingling, static-like sensation in response to some certain auditory/visual stimulations. This study compared the performance of executive function (working memory, set shifting, and inhibitory control) between ASMR participants and control participants after three auditory treatment conditions, i.e., ASMR-triggering audio (Triggering), normal-speaking audio (Normal), and with no auditory treatment (Baseline). The results showed that the ASMR individuals did not differ in executive function with the control participants in either Normal or Baseline condition. However, the set shifting and inhibitory control of ASMR individuals slowed down after ASMR-triggering auditory treatment. In this study, ASMR individuals with ASMR-triggering auditory treatment reported that they all experienced three ASMR episodes before completing executive function tasks. These findings indicated that there was no intrinsic difference in executive function between ASMR and control individuals. But ASMR individuals' executive function would be interfered when the ASMR was triggered.

Brain-wide resting-state connectivity regulation by the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex is associated with fluid intelligence

The connectivity hub property of the hippocampus (HIP) and the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is essential for their widespread involvement in cognition; however, the cooperation mechanism between them is far from clear. Herein, using resting-state functional MRI and Gaussian Bayesian network to describe the directed organizing architecture of the HIP-MPFC pathway with regions in the brain, we demonstrated that the HIP and the MPFC have central roles as the driving hub and aggregating hub, respectively. The status of the HIP and the MPFC is dominant in communications between the HIP and the default-mode network, between the HIP and core neurocognitive networks, including the default-mode, frontoparietal, and salience networks, and between brain-wide representative regions, suggesting a strong and robust central position of the two regions in regulating the dynamics of large-scale brain activity. Furthermore, we found that the directed connectivity and flow from the right HIP to the MPFC is significantly linked to fluid intelligence. Together, these results clarify the different roles of the HIP and the MPFC that jointly contribute to network dynamics and cognitive ability from a data-driven insight via the use of the directed connectivity method.

Elucidating the role of selective attention, divergent thinking, language abilities, and executive functions in metaphor generation

Metaphoric language is one of the most common expressions of creative cognition in everyday life. However, the cognitive mechanisms underlying metaphor generation remain largely unexplained. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between various cognitive functions and both novel and conventional metaphor generation. Ninety-five undergraduate students were administered a metaphor generation task that assesses novel and conventional metaphor generation, along with a battery of different cognitive measures: vocabulary; divergent thinking (Tel Aviv Creativity Test), working memory (WM) via digit span tests, executive functions (EFs) using the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) questionnaire, and selective attention (lateralized global-local digit task). Results of a path analysis indicated that - whereas only selective attention contributed to conventional metaphor generation - selective attention, divergent thinking, and EFs contributed to novel metaphor generation beyond vocabulary and WM. Thus, the results indicate that although both novel and conventional metaphor generation are linked to attentional resources and inhibitory control, the greater creativity inherent in novel metaphor generation appears to reflect a more complex set of cognitive processes than conventional metaphor generation.

Cognitive Function in Genetic Generalized Epilepsies: Insights From Neuropsychology and Neuroimaging

Genetic generalized epilepsies (GGE), previously called idiopathic generalized epilepsies, constitute about 20% of all epilepsies, and include childhood absence epilepsy, juvenile absence epilepsy, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, and epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures alone (CAE, JAE, JME, and GGE-GTCS, respectively). GGE are characterized by high heritability, likely underlain by polygenetic mechanisms, which may relate to atypical neurodevelopmental trajectories. Age of onset ranges from pre-school years, for CAE, to early adulthood for GGE-GTCS. Traditionally, GGE have been considered benign, a belief contrary to evidence from neuropsychology studies conducted over the last two decades. In JME, deficits in executive and social functioning are common findings and relate to impaired frontal lobe function. Studies using neuropsychological measures and cognitive imaging paradigms provide evidence for hyperconnectivity between prefrontal and motor cortices, aberrant fronto-thalamo-cortical connectivity, and reduced fronto-cortical and subcortical gray matter volumes, which are associated with altered cognitive performance. Recent research has also identified associations between abnormal hippocampal morphometry and fronto-temporal activation during episodic memory. Longitudinal studies on individuals with newly diagnosed JME have observed cortical dysmaturation, which is paralleled by delayed cognitive development compared to the patients' peers. Comorbidities and cognitive deficits observed in other GGE subtypes, such as visuo-spatial and language deficits in both CAE and JAE, have also been correlated with atypical neurodevelopment. Although it remains unclear whether cognitive impairment profiles differ amongst GGE subtypes, effects may become more pronounced with disease duration, particularly in absence epilepsies. Finally, there is substantial evidence that patients with JME and their unaffected siblings share patterns of cognitive deficits, which is indicative of an underlying genetic etiology (endophenotype), independent of seizures and anti-epileptic medication.

Perinatal complications and executive dysfunction in early-onset schizophrenia

BACKGROUND

The present study examined the association between perinatal obstetric complications and executive dysfunction in early-onset schizophrenia (EOS), compared to healthy controls. Higher incidences of obstetric complications and more severe executive dysfunctions characterize EOS. Research shows extensive brain maturation in newborns, suggesting them to be particularly vulnerable for perinatal insults. Executive function is mainly mediated by the prefrontal cortex, an area that matures last during pregnancy. Thus, exposure to perinatal complications may influence executive dysfunction in EOS.

METHODS

The participants were 19 EOS patients and 54 healthy controls. Executive function was assessed with the D-KEFS Color Word Interference Test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Information on perinatal obstetric complications and Apgar 5-min scores were obtained from the Norwegian Medical Birth Registry. Associations between perinatal conditions and executive function were studied using stepwise regression analyses.

RESULTS

Perinatal complications, and especially shorter gestational lengths, were significantly associated with significant executive dysfunctions in EOS. Perinatal complications did not affect executive function among healthy controls. A significant relationship between lower Apgar 5-min scores and executive dysfunction was found among both EOS patients and healthy controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure to perinatal complications, and particularly a shorter gestational length, was associated with increased executive dysfunction in EOS. Exposed healthy controls did not exhibit similar executive difficulties, suggesting that the EOS patients seemed especially vulnerable for executive deficits due to perinatal insults. The findings indicate that EOS youths learn more slowly and experience more difficulty with problem-solving, which carry important implications for clinical practice. Lower Apgar 5-min scores were associated with executive dysfunction in both groups. Low Apgar score at 5 min may therefore be an important early indicator of executive difficulties among adolescents, independent of diagnosis.

Cerebellum, Basal Ganglia, and Cortex Mediate Performance of an Aerial Pursuit Task

The affordance competition hypothesis is an ethologically inspired theory from cognitive neuroscience that provides an integrative neural account of continuous, real-time behavior, and will likely become increasingly relevant to the growing field of neuroergonomics. In the spirit of neuroergonomics in aviation, we designed a three-dimensional, first-person, continuous, and real-time fMRI task during which human subjects maneuvered a simulated airplane in pursuit of a target airplane along constantly changing headings. We introduce a pseudo-event-related, parametric fMRI analysis approach to begin testing the affordance competition hypothesis in neuroergonomic contexts, and attempt to identify regions of the brain that exhibit a linear metabolic relationship with the continuous variables of task performance and distance-from-target. In line with the affordance competition hypothesis, our results implicate the cooperation of the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and cortex in such a task, with greater involvement of the basal ganglia during good performance, and greater involvement of cortex and cerebellum during poor performance and when distance-from-target closes. We briefly review the somatic marker and dysmetria of thought hypotheses, in addition to the affordance competition hypothesis, to speculate on the intricacies of the cooperation of these brain regions in a task such as ours. In doing so, we demonstrate how the affordance competition hypothesis and other cognitive neuroscience theories are ready for testing in continuous, real-time tasks such as ours, and in other neuroergonomic settings more generally.

Exploring brain-behavior relationships in the N-back task

Working memory (WM) function has traditionally been investigated in terms of two dimensions: within-individual effects of WM load, and between-individual differences in task performance. In human neuroimaging studies, the N-back task has frequently been used to study both. A reliable finding is that activation in frontoparietal regions exhibits an inverted-U pattern, such that activity tends to decrease at high load levels. Yet it is not known whether such U-shaped patterns are a key individual differences factor that can predict load-related changes in task performance. The current study investigated this question by manipulating load levels across a much wider range than explored previously (N ​= ​1-6), and providing a more comprehensive examination of brain-behavior relationships. In a sample of healthy young adults (n ​= ​57), the analysis focused on a distinct region of left lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) identified in prior work to show a unique relationship with task performance and WM function. In this region it was the linear slope of load-related activity, rather than the U-shaped pattern, that was positively associated with individual differences in target accuracy. Comprehensive supplemental analyses revealed the brain-wide selectivity of this pattern. Target accuracy was also independently predicted by the global resting-state connectivity of this LPFC region. These effects were robust, as demonstrated by cross-validation analyses and out-of-sample prediction, and also critically, were primarily driven by the high-load conditions. Together, the results highlight the utility of high-load conditions for investigating individual differences in WM function.

Fluid intelligence is associated with cortical volume and white matter tract integrity within multiple-demand system across adult lifespan

BACKGROUND

Fluid intelligence (Gf) is the innate ability of an individual to respond to complex and unexpected situations. Although some studies have considered that the multiple-demand (MD) system of the brain was the biological foundation for Gf, further characterization of their relationships in the context of aging is limited. The present study hypothesized that the structural metrics of the MD system, including cortical thickness, cortical volumes, and white matter (WM) tract integrity, was the brain correlates for Gf across the adult life span. Partial correlation analysis was performed to investigate whether the MD system could still explain Gf independent of the age effect. Moreover, the partial correlations between Gf and left/right structural metrics within the MD regions were compared to test whether the correlations displayed distinct lateralization.

METHODS

The participants were recruited from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN) databank, comprising the images of 603 healthy participants aged 18-88 years acquired on a 3-T system. The MRI data included high-resolution T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted images, from which gray matter and WM structural metrics of the MD system were analyzed, respectively. The structural metrics of gray matter were quantified in terms of cortical volume/thickness of five pairs of cortical regions, and those of WM were quantified in terms of the mean axial diffusivity (D_A), radial diffusivity (D_R), mean diffusivity (D_M), and generalized fractional anisotropy (GFA) on five pairs of tracts. Partial correlation controlling for age and sex effects, was performed to investigate the associations of Gf scores with the mean D_A, D_R, D_M and GFA of all tracts in the MD system, those of left and right hemispheric tracts, and those of each tract. Fisher's exact test was used to compare the partial correlations between left and right MD regions.

RESULTS

The linear relationship between cortical volumes and Gf was evident across all levels of the MD system even after controlling for age and sex. For the WM integrity, diffusion indices including D_A, D_R, D_M and GFA displayed linear relationships with Gf scores at various levels of the MD system. Among the 10 WM tracts connecting the MD regions, bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus I and bilateral frontal aslant tracts exhibited the strongest and significant associations. Our results did not show significant inter-hemispheric differences in the associations between structural metrics of the MD system and Gf.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate significant associations between Gf and both cortical volumes and tract integrity of the MD system across the adult lifespan in a population-based cohort. We found that the association remained significant in the entire adult lifespan despite simultaneous decline of Gf and the MD system. Our results suggest that the MD system might be a structural underpinning of Gf and support the fronto-parietal model of cognitive aging. However, we did not find hemispheric differences in the Gf-MD correlations, not supporting the hemi-aging hypothesis.

Pattern Similarity Analyses of FrontoParietal Task Coding: Individual Variation and Genetic Influences

Pattern similarity analyses are increasingly used to characterize coding properties of brain regions, but relatively few have focused on cognitive control processes in FrontoParietal regions. Here, we use the Human Connectome Project (HCP) N-back task functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataset to examine individual differences and genetic influences on the coding of working memory load (0-back, 2-back) and perceptual category (Face, Place). Participants were grouped into 105 monozygotic twin, 78 dizygotic twin, 99 nontwin sibling, and 100 unrelated pairs. Activation pattern similarity was used to test the hypothesis that FrontoParietal regions would have higher similarity for same load conditions, while Visual regions would have higher similarity in same perceptual category conditions. Results confirmed this highly robust regional double dissociation in neural coding, which also predicted individual differences in behavioral performance. In pair-based analyses, anatomically selective genetic relatedness effects were observed: relatedness predicted greater activation pattern similarity in FrontoParietal only for load coding and in Visual only for perceptual coding. Further, in related pairs, the similarity of load coding in FrontoParietal regions was uniquely associated with behavioral performance. Together, these results highlight the power of task fMRI pattern similarity analyses for detecting key coding and heritability features of brain regions.

Carbohydrate mouth rinse has no effects on behavioral or neuroelectric indices of cognition

Rinsing the mouth with a carbohydrate solution has been suggested as a means to enhance aspects of both physical and cognitive performance. However, evidence in support of these assertions is relatively weak. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a carbohydrate mouth rinse solution on motor speed, inhibition, and sustained attention as indexed by both behavioral and neuroelectric measures. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects crossover design, 50 college-aged young adults performed a battery of cognitive tasks both before and after rinsing their mouth for 10 s with 20 mL of either a carbohydrate mouth rinse solution or a sensory-matched placebo control solution. A simple tapping task was used as a measure of motor speed, a modified Eriksen flanker task was used to index inhibition, and a rapid visual information processing task was used as a measure of sustained attention. Participants demonstrated longer reaction times in the Flanker task after rinsing their mouths with the carbohydrate mouth rinse, relative to pretest. No differences in reaction time were observed for the placebo control condition. P3 latency in the Flanker task as an index of attentional processing speed was shorter at posttest than at pretest in the placebo control - but not the carbohydrate mouth rinse - condition. These results suggest that despite claims of cognitive enhancement, carbohydrate mouth rinses do not appear to alter motor speed, inhibition, or sustained attention as compared to a placebo control in non-physically-fatigued college-aged adults.

Cochlear Implantation in Children with Single-Sided Deafness

OBJECTIVE

To describe our experience with children undergoing unilateral cochlear implantation (CI) for treatment of single-sided deafness (SSD).

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective case series.

METHODS

A retrospective case review from a tertiary referral center involving 14 pediatric patients (<18 years) with SSD who underwent unilateral CI. Speech perception testing in quiet and noise in the CI-only and bimodal conditions with at least 1 year of device use and device usage from data logs represent the main outcome measures.

RESULTS

The mean age at CI was 5.0 years (median 4.4, range 1.0-11.8 years). The mean duration of deafness was 3.0 years (median 2.4, range 0.6-7.0 years). Mean follow-up was 3.4 years. Speech perception testing with a minimum of 1 year post-CI was available in eight patients. The mean word recognition scores (WRS) in the CI-only condition was 56%; a significant improvement from baseline. Testing in background noise with spatially separated speech and noise revealed that patients scored as well or better with the CI-on versus CI-off in all conditions and in no cases was interference from the CI noted. Data logs were reviewed for device usage which revealed an average use of 6.5 hr/d.

CONCLUSION

Cochlear implantation is a viable treatment option for pediatric SSD in this self-selected cohort. Open-set speech and improvement in background noise can be achieved. Careful patient selection and thorough counseling on expectations is paramount to achieving successful outcomes.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV Laryngoscope, 131:E271-E277, 2021.

"Remind-to-Move" Treatment Enhanced Activation of the Primary Motor Cortex in Patients with Stroke

"Remind-to-Move" (RTM) has been developed and used as a new treatment for rehabilitation of upper extremity functions in patients with hemiplegia. This study aimed to investigate the cortical activation patterns using functional near-infrared spectroscopic topography for patients with chronic stroke receiving RTM by comparing with their healthy counterparts. Twelve patients with right hemispheric stroke and 15 healthy adults participated in this study. All participants were instructed to completed three experimental conditions-RTM, Move without reminding (Sham), and Remind with No-move (RNoM). In patients with stroke, RTM elicited higher level of activation than the Sham in the contralateral somatosensory association cortex, primary motor cortex, primary somatosensory cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which has been found in healthy participants. However, effects of RTM were robust and more widely distributed in healthy participants, comparing to patients with stroke, comparatively RNoM showed no significant higher activation than the baseline in those areas in both populations. RTM enhances the recruitment of contralateral primary motor cortex and this effect appears to be associated with increased attention allocation towards moving hands upon tactile stimulation in the form of vibration. The RTM treatment is useful to patients with stroke.

Testing the Effects of 3D Multiple Object Tracking Training on Near, Mid and Far Transfer

Cognitive training (CT) aims to develop domain general mental abilities to support functions like decision making, multitasking, and performance under pressure. Research to date has indicated that CT likely aids performance on lab-based cognitive tests, but there has been little demonstration of transfer to tasks representative of real-world high performance environments. This study aimed to assess transfer from a CT intervention to near and mid-level transfer tasks, plus a far transfer test representative of real-world multitasking in a military environment. 84 participants were randomized to four independent training groups, using NeuroTracker, a CT task based on 3D object tracking. There was no evidence for near transfer (to another object tracking task) or for far transfer to a route monitoring task designed to replicate real-world multitasking. There may, however, have been some improvement in working memory performance as a result of training. These findings raise further questions about whether domain general CT will transfer to real-world performance. Effective uses of CT may require more task specific training targeting mid-level transfer effects.

Utilizing Video-Based Trainings to Improve Decision Making in High School Quarterbacks

Despite the role of working memory capacity (WMC) in decision making, there is a dearth of empirical literature concerned with working memory and how it relates to tactical decision making in sport. The temporal occlusion paradigm has often been used by sport researchers to improve tactical decision making and, thus, provides a well-established foundation for creating decision-making trainings. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to explore the implementation of computer-based learning modules to improve the tactical decision making of four high school quarterbacks with varying levels of WMC, utilizing a single-subject, multiple baseline design. The learning modules utilized a temporal occlusion paradigm and present a novel intervention aimed at improving decision making in quarterbacks. Data were analyzed using visual analysis and improvement rate difference (IRD). Overall, results did not demonstrate a causal relationship between changes in accuracy of decision making after implementation of the learning modules but did provide moderate evidence for improvement in reaction time for decision making due to the learning modules. The learning modules were met with positive perceptions from the four participants, and the participant with the lowest WMC showed evidence of improvement in both accuracy and speed of decision making. Limitations as well as implications will be discussed.

Combining HF rTMS over the Left DLPFC with Concurrent Cognitive Activity for the Offline Modulation of Working Memory in Healthy Volunteers: A Proof-of-Concept Study

It has been proposed that the effectiveness of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) as a cognitive enhancement technique may be enhanced by combining the stimulation with concurrent cognitive activity. However, the benefits of such a combination in comparison to protocols without ongoing cognitive activity have not yet been studied. In the present study, we investigate the effects of fMRI-guided high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF rTMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on working memory (WM) in healthy volunteers, using an n-back task with spatial and verbal stimuli and a spatial span task. In two combined protocols (TMS + WM + (maintenance) and TMS + WM + (rest)) trains of stimuli were applied in the maintenance and rest periods of the modified Sternberg task, respectively. We compared them to HF rTMS without a cognitive load (TMS + WM −) and control stimulation (TMS − WM + (maintenance)). No serious adverse effects appeared in this study. Among all protocols, significant effects on WM were shown only for the TMS + WM − with oppositely directed influences of this protocol on storage and manipulation in spatial WM. Moreover, there was a significant difference between the effects of TMS + WM − and TMS + WM + (maintenance), suggesting that simultaneous cognitive activity does not necessarily lead to an increase in TMS effects.

Idea Formulation for Spoken Language Production: The Interface of Cognition and Language

BACKGROUND

Language and communication are fundamental to the human experience, and, traditionally, spoken language is studied as an isolated skill. However, before propositional language (i.e., spontaneous, voluntary, novel speech) can be produced, propositional content or 'ideas' must be formulated.

OBJECTIVE

This review highlights the role of broader cognitive processes, particularly 'executive attention', in the formulation of propositional content (i.e., 'ideas') for propositional language production.

CONCLUSIONS

Several key lines of evidence converge to suggest that the formulation of ideas for propositional language production draws on executive attentional processes. Larger-scale clinical research has demonstrated a link between attentional processes and language, while detailed case studies of neurological patients have elucidated specific idea formulation mechanisms relating to the generation, selection and sequencing of ideas for expression. Furthermore, executive attentional processes have been implicated in the generation of ideas for propositional language production. Finally, neuroimaging studies suggest that a widely distributed network of brain regions, including parts of the prefrontal and parietal cortices, supports propositional language production.

IMPLICATIONS

Theoretically driven experimental research studies investigating mechanisms involved in the formulation of ideas are lacking. We suggest that novel experimental approaches are needed to define the contribution of executive attentional processes to idea formulation, from which comprehensive models of spoken language production can be developed. Clinically, propositional language impairments should be considered in the context of broader executive attentional deficits.

The prefrontal cortex and the caudate nucleus respond conjointly to methylphenidate (Ritalin). Concomitant behavioral and neuronal recording study

Methylphenidate (MPD) is commonly used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Recently, it is being abused for cognitive enhancement and recreation leading to concerns regarding its addictive potential. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) and caudate nucleus (CN) are two of the brain structures involved in the motive/reward circuit most affected by MPD and are also thought to be responsible for ADHD phenomena. This study is unique in that it investigated acute and chronic, dose-response MPD exposure on animals' behavior activity concomitantly with PFC and CN neuronal circuitry in freely behaving adult animals without the interference of anesthesia. Further, it compared acute and chronic MPD action on over 1,000 subcortical and cortical neurons simultaneously, allowing for a more accurate interpretation of drug action on corticostriatal neuronal circuitry. For this experiment, four groups of animals were used: saline (control), 0.6, 2.5, and 10.0 mg/kg MPD following acute and repetitive exposure. The data shows that the same MPD dose elicits behavioral sensitization in some animals and tolerance in others and that the PFC and CN neuronal activity correlates with the animals' behavioral responses to MPD. The expression of sensitization and tolerance are experimental biomarkers indicating that a drug has addictive potential. In general, a greater percentage of CN units responded to both acute and chronic MPD exposure as compared to PFC units. Dose response differences between the PFC and the CN units were observed. The dichotomy that some PFC and CN units responded to the same MPD dose by excitation and other units by attenuation in neuronal firing rate is discussed. In conclusion, to understand the mechanism of action of the drug, it is essential to study, simultaneously, on more than one brain site, the electrophysiological and behavioral effects of acute and chronic drug exposure, as sensitization and tolerance are experimental biomarkers indicating that a drug has addictive potential. The behavioral and neuronal data obtained from this study indicates that chronic MPD exposure results in behavioral and biochemical changes consistent with a substance abuse disorder.

Assessing the effects of sleep on neurocognitive performance and injury rate in adolescent athletes using actigraphy

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adolescents (age 14-17 years) sleep 8 to 10 hours per night. Sleep loss is associated with cognitive dysfunction, decreased reaction time, and poorer athletic performance. This study evaluated the effects of sleep on sports injury rate and academic and cognitive performance. Seventeen high school track and field athletes (7 males, 10 females, mean age 15.9 years) wore an actigraph device for 10 weeks and performed a computerized neurocognitive assessment. Overall, 900 nights of nocturnal sleep data were analysed. Total minutes in bed averaged 501 minutes (8 hours and 21 minutes) and total sleep time averaged 378 minutes (6 hours and 18 minutes). Statistically significant correlations were observed between mean total sleep time and age-adjusted scores for the neurocognitive domains of episodic memory (p = .03) and fluid cognition (p = .03). Sleep loss in student-athletes may result in greater cognitive difficulties and impair academic abilities in the classroom.

The cannabinoid agonist WIN-2 affects acquisition but not consolidation of a spatial information in training and retraining processes: Relation with transcriptional regulation of the endocannabinoid system?

The endocannabinoid system is capable of modulating multiple physiological brain functions including learning and memory. Moreover, there is evidence that the processes of acquisition and consolidation have distinct biological basis. We used the cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 (WIN-2) to investigate whether chronic CB1 activation affects acquisition and consolidation differently by evaluating gene expression in the hippocampus (HIP) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Swiss mice were treated with WIN-2 (2 mg/kg) and submitted to the Morris water maze to evaluate different aspects of memory. We observed short-term memory impairment in acquisition of the spatial task while consolidation remained unchanged. In the PFC, animals that received WIN-2 prior to the task exhibited increased expression of the 2-AG synthesis enzyme diacylglycerol lipase and decreased levels of the degradation enzyme monoacylglycerol lipase, while mice that were treated after the task for the evaluation of consolidation exhibited the opposite profile. With respect to genes related to AEA metabolism, no correlation between the molecular and behavioral data could be established. In this sense, the cognitive impairment in the acquisition promoted by WIN-2 treatment may be related to a possible increase in the concentration of 2-AG in the PFC. Overall, this study confirms the relevance of the endocannabinoid system in the modulation of cognitive processes. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying endocannabinoids roles in cognition could provide guidance for the development of treatments to reduce the cognitive deficits caused by drug abuse.

The effects of emotion on working memory: Valence versus motivation

It is unclear whether the effects of emotional state on working memory (WM) are valence-based or motivation-based since the type of emotions used in previous research differed on both dimensions of emotion. Especially, effects of anger, which is a negative but approach-related emotional state, were mostly overlooked. To distinguish between valence vs. motivation accounts, two experiments were conducted in which participants were induced one of four emotional states to create approach-positive (happiness), avoidance-negative (fear), approach-negative (anger), and control (neutral) conditions, followed by Self-ordered Pointing Task (Experiment 1) or N-Back task (Experiment 2) as WM measures. The main effect of emotion on WM accuracy was not significant in neither experiment. In the second experiment, however, reaction times (RTs) in the avoidance-related emotion condition were significantly faster compared to those in approach-related conditions, without compromising accuracy. Together the two experiments suggest that the motivational dimension of emotional state is more effective on WM than the valence dimension, especially on the RTs, indicating working memory updating efficiency.

Executive functions

First, executive functions are defined. Then the development of executive functions in children, from infancy to 10-11 years of age, is briefly described. The relation between the speed of processing and the development of executive functions is addressed. Finally, tools and pointers for evaluating executive functioning in younger and older children are discussed. A cautionary note is sounded, in that almost no executive function measure requires only one executive function. A child might fail a working memory task because of problems with inhibitory control (not working memory), fail an inhibitory control task because of working memory problems, or fail a cognitive flexibility, planning, or reasoning task because of problems with inhibitory control or working memory.

Time to Forget

Abstract. Emerging technologies at work encourage the collection and storage of large amounts of data. However, these vast quantities of data are likely to impair efficient work decisions by employees over time, with negative consequences for the organization. As human attention increasingly represents the scarce resource at work, the present paper focuses on a mechanism of attentional control at work – namely, intentionally forgetting unwanted and outdated internal (e. g., knowledge) and external (e. g., digital objects) information. The purpose of this paper is threefold. Based on a short review of the research on intentional forgetting, a prototypical conceptualization of an interactive assistive system (Dare2Del, cognitive companion) is provided, which should support employees in temporally ignoring or permanently deleting outdated information. Then, we completed a critical incident study to examine why and when employees might want to forget information at work, and to identify in which working situations an assistive system should be particularly helpful.

Cognitive Control Moderates the Health Benefits of Trait Self-Regulation in Young Adults

Separate lines of epidemiological research suggest that individuals with high trait self-regulation (e.g. conscientious individuals) and individuals with higher cognitive ability (e.g. executive control/intelligence) each tend to enjoy superior health and well-being outcomes. However, it remains largely unexplored whether these personological and cognitive contributions to physical health are shared, independent, or interdependent. In the current study, we examined associations between trait self-regulation, cognitive control, self-reported physical health, and subjective well-being. A domain-general model revealed little shared variance between trait self-regulation and cognitive control but revealed significant unique relationships between each predictor and physical health. Results of a latent moderation analysis suggested that cognitive control moderated the contribution of self-regulation to health but not subjective well-being. This moderation effect was characterized by a strengthened relationship between trait self-regulation and health with decreases in cognitive control. Together, our results suggest that self-regulation and cognitive control may independently contribute to health outcomes in young adults and that self-regulation may be increasingly important for individuals lower in cognitive control.

Neurobehavioural complications of sleep deprivation: Shedding light on the emerging role of neuroactive steroids

Sleep deprivation (SD) is associated with a broad spectrum of cognitive and behavioural complications, including emotional lability and enhanced stress reactivity, as well as deficits in executive functions, decision making and impulse control. These impairments, which have profound negative consequences on the health and productivity of many individuals, reflect alterations of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and its connectivity with subcortical regions. However, the molecular underpinnings of these alterations remain elusive. Our group and others have begun examining how the neurobehavioural outcomes of SD may be influenced by neuroactive steroids, a family of molecules deeply implicated in sleep regulation and the stress response. These studies have revealed that, similar to other stressors, acute SD leads to increased synthesis of the neurosteroid allopregnanolone in the PFC. Whereas this up-regulation is likely aimed at counterbalancing the detrimental impact of oxidative stress induced by SD, the increase in prefrontal allopregnanolone levels contributes to deficits in sensorimotor gating and impulse control, signalling a functional impairment of PFC. This scenario suggests that the synthesis of neuroactive steroids during acute SD may be enacted as a neuroprotective response in the PFC; however, such compensation may in turn set off neurobehavioural complications by interfering with the corticolimbic connections responsible for executive functions and emotional regulation.

Neurofilament Light Predicts Decline in Attention but Not Episodic Memory in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease

BACKGROUND

Cerebrospinal fluid tau and neurofilament light (NfL) are two biomarkers of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease. Previous reports have shown that the influence of tau on cognitive decline depends on levels of amyloid burden whereas NfL predicts decline independently of amyloid. Most studies use a global cognitive composite as the primary outcome, and it is unknown if critical cognitive domain scores are similarly sensitive to rates of decline due to neurodegeneration.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the unique contribution of amyloid, tau, and NfL to rates of cognitive decline in multiple cognitive composites in a cognitively healthy, middle-aged to older adult cohort.

METHODS

A total of 255 participants (55% female; mean age = 66.2 years, range = 42.5-86.7 years) completed CSF studies and serial cognitive assessments to measure global cognition, episodic memory, and attentional control. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine rates of change on each composite score as a function of baseline biomarker levels.

RESULTS

Total tau predicted decline in attention regardless of amyloid status, but the relationship to global cognition and episodic memory was dependent on amyloid, replicating prior literature. NfL predicted decline in attention and global cognition, but not memory, and this effect was independent of amyloid status.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that NfL can be used to monitor cognitive decline in aging and Alzheimer's disease and that an attentional control composite may be a better outcome for tracking general neurodegenerative effects on cognition.